A Midgardian Affair
by Why so Sirius1236
Summary: *REWRITE* Part of the Loja Saga. Loki's mischief lands him on Midgard under the guise of a certain Captain James Nicholls of the 54th Cavalry unit in the British Army. Never did he suspect to find an old lover there as well. Will include most of War Horse characters. Loki/Capt. Nicholls/OC
1. Chapter 1: Midgard?

_**Hey guys,**_

_**So this is the rewrite for 'A Midgardian Affair.' I have expanded on this idea considerably and have decided to make it into more than it was. It will have most of the chapters from the original spread throughout it, but a lot of it is brand new stuff :D**_

* * *

_Midgard: The Village of Devon, 1914_

The warm sun of the British countryside beat down on Anja as she made her way down the road that led into town. She was walking along the grassy side of the road, her long brown curls pulled back and away from her face in a pristine braid. She took in a deep breath, the smell of the wild onions that grew in the grass along the side of the road greeting her.

She had been on Midgard for two weeks, living amongst the inhabitants of this small realm and reveling in the knowledge she came upon on a daily basis. Mistress Elena had told her upon her departure from The Academy's realm that this was to be the final stretch of studying abroad before she entered into the last and hardest stages of her training as a sorceress.

The village of Devon was quite quaint, and the outline of gray buildings and thatched roofs greeted her as she kept walking. The inn that she was staying in was not too terribly far from town, but just far enough to keep her away from the bustle that went on within the village. She had little doubt that Elena had seen to that…

Some days, she avoided town all together, simply settling for the simpler life of living in the sun and studying the countless books on Midgard that she had brought with her from the library of The Academy. The sky here was so blue, and the weather was hardly ever dull, and she took full advantage of that as often as she could. With a passing glance up at the sky, she let a small smile slip. It was one of her favorite colors, so clear, so pure. Of course, the green of the grass around her was a favorite of hers for a completely different reason.

Loki was still in Asgard as far as she knew, but she knew for a fact that she would have enjoyed this realm far more with him at her side. She was unsure of how much he would actually enjoy it, but she would have given anything to sit with him in the green of the grass of the fields that she read in. The warmth of the sunshine would have fallen beautifully on his dark hair… and she was certain his eyes would have been exactly the shade of the grass that surrounded her. At the thought of her lover, she grinned fully, smiling at nothing as she made her way further into the city of Devon.

*o*O*o*

"Excuse me, Miss."

Anja looked up quickly from her place at the small Midgardian market, an apple from the fruit stand she had just been at set carefully amongst a book in her basket. She looked for the source of the voice that had just addressed her.

It had been a male voice, one she had never heard before… and as her gaze landed on the lad that had addressed her, she bit down on her lower lip. The boy was young, probably in his late teens, early twenties, honestly almost the same age she was. He had very red hair tucked under a cap and a very, very hollow face. But why was he talking to her?

"Yes?" she said softly, shifting her booted feet the boy walked up to her.

"The name's David Lyons," the boy said, walking right up to her. He clearly expected her to show some sort of reaction, but it was quite obviously not the one she showed him.

"Oh?" she replied, raising her eyebrows in a polite question.

"Uh, yes," he said, momentarily thrown off by her reaction. "My father owns quite a bit of land up the way. Sure you've heard of him, yeah?"

Anja pressed her lips together in a fine line, shaking her head. "I am afraid not," she replied.

"Oh," David said, taking a step back and looking away for a bit. "Then today's your lucky day." David gave her a crooked smile, clearly one that was meant to be charming. "I've seen you around. But I never got your name, Miss…" He trailed off, waiting on her to tell him her name.

"Raeburn," she said, the mortal name slipping easily off of her tongue. It was one she had chosen for herself before she had come to Midgard. "Anja Raeburn."

"Well, Miss Raeburn, how'd you like to take a turn about the countryside with me?"

Anja's eyebrows nearly shot to her hairline at that as she realized what he was asking. "Oh, I really shouldn't," she said quietly, her mind automatically thinking to Loki. This lad had no idea what he was dealing with.

"Oh, come on then, Anja," he said with a smile. He clearly knew something she did not. "I've got my father's automobile. At least let me give you a ride home."

Anja stopped dead at that, jaw dropping a bit at the mention of one of the Midgardian contraptions she had read so much about. "An automobile?" she said, her curiosity piqued.

David smiled, nodding. Anja pursed her lips, sucking in on her cheek. It was not that she was interested in _him_, in truth he was but a baby to her. She had wanted to study the so called 'vehicles of the future' for quite some time…. This experience would be a lovely little addition to her report to The Academy…

"Alright," she said finally, not trying to fight the smile on her face. This would be quite an experience… and she reminded herself that she would not have to associate with the mortal lad again afterwards. In a way, she knew that it would be slightly cruel, but she had heard stories about the womanizing Lyons' boy. He would merely be a means to getting what she wanted.

David smiled back at her, offering his arm. She did not take it, merely choosing to follow him down the road and around a corner. The image that was waiting for her was quite the sight, and she smiled widely in excitement as she walked straight up to the waiting vehicle.

"It's mine for the day," David said, walking around to open the door for her. Anja studied the leather interior, eyes wide. "You know, I'm the only boy in the village that can drive."

Anja looked back at him, fighting the urge to roll her eyes before sliding into the front passenger seat. She waited on David to walk back around to the driver's seat, and a thrill shot through her as the car started moving.

*o*O*o*

Listening to David talk was about as interesting as the mathematics lectures that Anja had attended one too many times at The Academy. The lad certainly seemed to like to talk about himself; that much was evident.

So, instead of trying to keep up with the conversation, Anja let him talk while she kept an eye on the trees that zipped by at a much quicker rate than if she had been walking. She wanted to ask about the mechanisms behind the Midgardian vehicle, but something told her that he wouldn't have answered her anyways.

The little red car was only a mile away from the inn she was staying at when the sound of hoof-beats on the grass behind her caught her attention. With her silver gaze wide, Anja turned in her seat to gaze at a beautiful brown horse trotting up alongside the car. A young mortal that looked to be about David's age smiled at them, waving as he held the reigns of the thoroughbred steady.

"Is he a friend of yours?" Anja said, smiling as she waved back at the boy riding the horse. Anja had had her fair share of experience with horses back at The Academy, but this one in particular caught her eye. Perhaps it was the way it held its head, or the beautiful flash of its coat in the afternoon sun… either way, it was a very noble-looking animal.

And yet there was something about the rider atop it as well. In the few seconds of a glimpse that she caught of the two, she could tell that there was a bond besides that of the horse and its owner that the two shared.

She could practically feel David tense up next to her and she turned back to glance at him before gazing back at the horse and his rider. "Come on, Boy," she heard the lad say. He had a very thick accent, probably that of one of the farmers in the area. "Let's show 'em how to fly."

Anja grinned even wider, rising a bit in her seat to watch the two head towards a stone fence. The pair sped up, moving towards the fence at an even faster pace and outrunning the car all together. It was quite clear that the rider wanted the horse to jump the fence, but at the very last minute, the horse stopped short, sending the boy over the fence and sprawling across the grass.

Anja's hand flew to her mouth, covering the gasp of concern. "We have to stop," Anja said quickly.

"What?" David said. "He'll be fine. Ol' Albie's a tough one." It was clearly a statement to keep Anja's focus on him though.

"No," Anja said, turning back. "He may be hurt." David did not seem to mind a bit though. Anja's nostrils flared and, acting on instinct, she placed a hand to his shoulder. "Please stop," Anja said quietly, sending a persuasive spell into the mortal's mind. She hated using it, but she didn't want to leave the boy unattended. She had seen one too many riding accidents back at The Academy.

David's eyes seemed to glaze over for a second… and then his foot moved towards the brake.

*o*O*o*

Albert let out a deep breath as he came to an abrupt stop along the grassy field. He could not remember ever feeling such a rush in his life! The only fear he had was of a possible obvious injury that might alert his mother to his foolery. He shook grass from his hair, leaning back on his elbows as he looked over the fence that Joey had come to stand at.

"Well, you're clearly not gonna be a jumper," Albert said, finally catching his breath.

"Are you alright?!"

A girl's voice reached his ears, and he was quite certain that both his and Joey's heads looked in the direction of the voice at exactly the same time. It was a moment before Albert's vision lighted on a figure in a green skirt and white blouse running towards him.

The girl had a basket in one arm, her free hand holding her skirts up as she made it to him. He smiled up at her stupidly, nodding as he got back up on his own two feet. He was still a bit dizzy, but he didn't feel like showing it right about now. Now that he was able to focus on his surroundings, he was able to see David Lyons waiting by the parked red car a few meters down the road.

"Yeah," he managed. "I'm fine. Joey just got a bit spooked I 'spose." Albert was slightly taken aback by the unusual silver of the woman's eyes as she peered back at him with concern.

The girl nodded, biting down on her lower lip. "You gave us a fright."

Albert laughed again, feeling Joey's nose bump into his back as if begging for attention. "Well, I'm fine," Albert said, patting Joey on the nose as he grabbed the reigns once more. "Oh, this is Joey," Albert said with a smile… and a little bit of innocent pride was in his tone as well. "And I'm Albert," he said extending a hand to the woman? Girl? He wasn't even sure. She looked more like one of the people of the fairytales he had grown up with than anything else.

"Anja," the girl replied, shaking his hand. Her basket seemed to tip for a moment before a shiny red apple fell out… and landed on the ground near Joey's feet. Almost instantly, the horse dipped down to pull the fruit into his mouth.

"No! Joey," Albert said quickly, bending down and dusting the apple off before he could hand it back to Anja. Anja smiled, taking the apple from Albert as Joey's nose all but followed it.

"He's quite a magnificent horse," Anja said quietly, studying the long-legged creature with a soft smile in her eyes.

"Finest there is," Albert replied with another proud smile as his chest swelled out.

Anja laughed. "I am sure," she replied. Then she looked back down at the apple in her hands before turning her silver gaze back to Albert's. "May I?" she said, indicating that she wanted to give the horse the apple.

Albert raised both eyebrows, nodding as he took a step back and let Anja offer the red fruit to Joey. He did not miss the slight whisper that escaped her lips as she held the fruit out, fingers spread so the horse's teeth would not graze her fingers on accident.

As Joey finished the treat, Anja turned back to look in the direction of the car. "Well, I must be going."

Albert nodded, tossing his bangs out of his eyes as he retook Joey's rains. "Yeah, me too. Thanks for giving Joey the apple." He studied her carefully, with curiosity more than anything. "He'd thank you himself if he could, I'm sure."

Anja smiled back, stroking Joey's nose gently and waving to Albert before turning back towards David. Her thoughts dwelled mainly on the horse. It had seemed to be quite human in its mannerisms. She was certain it would be a wonderful companion to anyone that owned it.

*o*O*o*

_Midgard: The Village of Devon, Two Weeks Later _

Loki bent over awkwardly, silently cursing the thick wool of the British soldier's uniform he had been forced into earlier that day. The hot afternoon sun was beating down on his back as he straightened back up from his place in line, looking over the heads of the shorter mortal officers with ease.

He grimaced inwardly as he thought through the events that had led him here. Why in Valhalla his father had seen fit to send him to Midgard as punishment for his mischievous tendencies, he had no idea. It had just been a bit of fun, that prank he had pulled with Lady Sif's hair. To be reduced to such a lowly state for the next month seemed like a slight overreaction on his father's part to such a harmless prank. He stifled a laugh as he looked back out at the ranks of mortal men, the thought of Lady Sif's face when she had woken up to discover a headful of dark dwarf hair permanently replacing her once golden locks lightening his spirits considerably.

"Next!" he heard one of the mortals at the desk say gruffly. The man in front of him stepped up to the table to check in, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

_Pathetic…_

These whimsies of the Allfather often grew tiresome for the two princes of Asgard. Since the two brothers had come of age, Odin had taken to trying to make them more worldly. Loki just found it annoying. He hated not having his magic for extended periods of time. He hated having to associate with mortals, even if some of them were slightly amusing at the best of times. But this time Odin was definitely trying to punish him.

His head snapped up at the sound of the man at the desk calling him up to the desk, pen in hand and ready to sign him into the mortal military unit that he would be in for the time being.

"Name?" The lieutenant at the desk was short and to the point, looking up at Loki without so much as a sideways glance. How unfitting for a god! Loki suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He was at the mercy of this unit until his father saw fit to bring him home… might as well try to make things easier for himself at the very least.

"Captain James Nicholls," Loki said curtly, the mortal name that his father had forced upon him falling all too easily from his silver tongue. At least he still had that particular power, he thought to himself with an inner chuckle.

The lieutenant scrunched up his brow, the bristle of a mustache wiggling up and down under his rather large nose as he went down the list of recruits. He pushed his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose as he found what he was looking for before looking back up at Loki.

"Alright, Captain Nicholls," the man said gruffly as he stamped and signed the papers in front of them before handing them off to Loki. "Give that to your company commander before you head to the barracks." Loki slipped a long-fingered hand out to take the parchment from the lieutenant, nodding curtly.

Midgard had to be one of the strangest worlds he had ever had to stay on. He looked around at the military men that were scuffling around him in preparation for whatever war the Midgardians found themselves in now. He repositioned the leather satchel on his hip before placing his officer's cap on his head. Loki still had extremely green eyes, the rest of his face the same way it always had been. His collar-length raven hair had been replaced with a reddish blonde, soft curls carefully combed back and away from his high forehead but cut extremely short near his collar. How ironic that his father change his hair from its usual style when he had done so much more to Lady Sif's! It had been worth it, he inwardly thought. After all, a month on Midgard was nothing to him as a god.

"Excuse me, Captain Nicholls?"

A rather irritating voice had called out his name, and Loki turned around from where he had been standing to see a shorter mortal coming up to him from the desks that everyone was still signing in at. Loki cleared his throat. "Yes?" he said shortly.

"Captain Charley Waverly, at your service, Sir," the shorter man said with a nervous laugh. "I'm told we are to be suite mates." He held out a hand for Loki to shake. Loki hesitated slightly before humoring the mortal. This man was unlike anyone Loki had ever seen. He was not the typical soldier of Midgard, that was for certain, but he did not resemble anyone of Asgard either. He was as much an oddball here as Loki was on Asgard.

Loki fought hard to keep his upper lip from curling at the thought of potentially having to share quarters with someone. "Really," Loki said politely, masking his emotions like he always did back home.

The mortal Captain nodded. "I was actually just looking for Major Stuart. Have you seen him? We are supposed to report to him."

Loki raised an eyebrow, silvertongue quickly weighing in to the conversation. "Ah, no. I am afraid I've not," he said carefully. "I only just arrived myself." _From a very great distance_, he reminded himself.

Charley nodded again, scratching his head under his cap. "Well I'll be on the looks about for him then," he said cheerfully. "Ah, and where are you keeping your horse until we head out? They were saying that we will need to be able to get to them rather quickly when they call muster this afternoon."

Loki blinked once. Hard. "A horse?" he said thickly, a bit of aggravation shooting through him. Why hadn't his father told him of that pretty little detail?!

Charley nodded, waving at a few of his friends behind Loki. "We are a cavalry unit, after all!"

Loki nodded once, lips pressed together in a fine line as he deliberated how to answer the young man. "I've yet to decide," he answered plainly. There, that was a simple answer for this obviously simple mortal.

Charley nodded with a smile, a set of mannerisms that seemed to haunt this young man. "Then I'll be seeing you, Captain Nicholls. Safe travels."

Loki forced another smile out, one that quickly turned into a grimace as the small mortal left him. A horse? How in Valhalla was he supposed to attain a horse? Loki knew enough about this realm to know that the horses were prized in the field of battle. While in Asgard, brute strength and stamina seemed to be more of the qualifying attributes to a warrior, most Midgardians did not have those capabilities. Cavalry combat seemed to be one of the safest choices for men going off to war in this realm. How interesting that the Midgardians had found such unique ways to kill each other off while Asgard had retained its fighting traditions since the dark times.

How was he to go about solving this predicament? With a sigh, he turned to the city he had found himself in. It was really no more than a village to be perfectly frank, a place for Midgardian farmers to come to sell and trade their harvests. It was a place of the past, even his foreigner's eye could see that. It was a place unaccustomed to the moving 'automobiles' that the Midgardians took such pride in, let alone the countless soldiers that had flocked the streets.

With another sigh, Loki turned away. One month. That was all he had to endure of this hellhole… and quite frankly it could not come soon enough…

That was, of course, until the green hem of a Midgardian gown caught his attention in his peripheral vision… and a head of dark curls made his head snap up to study the woman more closely. Sure enough, a tall woman with broad shoulders and a long braid of dark curls was picking her way through the crowded streets. He realized that she was carrying a stack of three or four books… leather bound in the shining midday sun.

It couldn't be her… not here. Not when this realm was in such a state of unrest. Surely The Academy was not that stupid as to allow its students to take trips here. But as he watched the back of the retreating figure's head, Loki knew that his time here was certainly about to get more enjoyable, if not more interesting.

He moved through the crowds gracefully, long legs propelling him forward despite the unusual clothing he was wearing. The closer he got to the dark-haired girl, the more he realized that she was so very familiar to him. _Turn around, Anja…._

Of course, his thoughts did not transfer to hers. His powers were hardly active, let alone powerful enough to achieve any form of spell. He was as mortal as mortal could be in that respect.

It had to have been the Norns' will then, when the girl stopped short upon being bumped into by a rather gruff group of boys heading towards the tables that Loki had just come from. She wavered, trying to balance the stack of books she had in her hand and maintain her dignity. Of course, the books went everywhere, scattering on the ground as the crowd of mortals continued about their lives around her. Loki lunged for the first one he could see, not noticing that the dark haired girl had bent down to pick it up as well.

He could feel her fingertips brush softly over his own as both of their hands went down to pick up the book. Gently, without looking up, he picked the book up, rising fully before looking down at Anja. The last inkling of a doubt that it was his old lover was gone in a heartbeat as silver met emerald and Anja's lips broke into a pleasantly surprised smile.

*o*O*o*

Anja peered back at Loki, the soft smile on her lips turning into a full blown grin as she looked him over from her place in front of him. At first, she had not been certain that this man was him. But then he had smiled at her and she had known it was her lover.

"What, pray tell, are you doing here dressed in such a fashion, My Prince?" she said softly as he handed her the book he had picked up for her. She hadn't seen him in far too long and she fought the urge to throw herself into his embrace right there.

Loki pressed his lips together, fighting a smirk. No matter his circumstances, Anja seemed to always be able to make him feel a tad bit better. "My father decided I needed a lesson in… character building."

Anja raised an eyebrow, bending down to pick up the last of her books from the mud. "Character building," she said flatly.

Loki shrugged, reaching down to uncurl one of her arms from the stack of books that were clutched to her chest. He looked down at his promise ring, bright and shining on her left ring finger. Pride shot through him to think that she was still wearing it for all to see. No doubt it was merely a common pretty thing here on Midgard, but to him… oh, to him it was so much more.

"Yes," he said as he pressed his lips to the green stone on the ring. "It appears Lady Sif cannot take a joke." Anja furrowed her brow, clearly not understanding. He released her hand, letting her place it back to the stack of books. She was dressed in a dark green Midgardian skirt, a white collared shirt covering the top portion of her attire. He noticed a bit of grime on her cheek, and he reached up tenderly to wipe it off. "What brings you here?" he asked softly, pulling her further out of the way of the oncoming mortals and beneath a small overhang outside one of the taverns that bordered the streets.

Anja smiled at that, looking down at the books in her hands. "Mistress Elena allowed us a bit of time for independent study before we go into our final stretch of learning."

Loki raised an eyebrow at that. "You are here alone?"

Anja bit her lower lip, still smiling as she looked up at him. "Quite."

"And you chose to come here during a time of unrest because…?"

She tilted her head at that, meeting her lover's gaze head on. "This is a time in which I feel I can learn much about the mortals of Midgard, Loki. I wanted to come here."

Loki nodded, pressing his lips into a fine line. "Where are you staying?" he asked quietly. He glanced around, backing her up even further into the overhang of the building. Anja shivered at his proximity. The brim of his cap made his green eyes look even darker in the foggy air.

"There is an inn just on the outskirts of town." Loki nodded, another smile breaking across his face as Anja brought a tentative hand up to the lapel of his uniform. A smile stretched across Anja's features as she took hold of the woolen fabric gently, pressing it between her fingers. "You look awful dashing," she whispered as she stretched up on her tiptoes and straightened the tie that was around his neck. The thought of all the mortals around them seeing her acting like this didn't faze her in the slightest. Her breath ghosted across his lips and she noticed when he suppressed a shudder. She met his gaze once more, reaching a hand up to take his cover off of his head. Her eyes widened in surprise as she took in the red of his hair.

"My father decided to enlist me in the 54th Cavalry of the British Army," Loki said wryly. "I suppose my hair was against regulation."

Anja smiled, setting the cap and books in her arms down on a bench that was to their left. She ran her fingers through his curls, and Loki closed his eyes, inhaling her scent as she leaned into him even more. "I quite like it though," she whispered. Loki opened his eyes when she pulled away, smiling down at her. She picked his hat up, placing it back on his head and straightening it. He smirked again, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in a bit closer. Then her gaze turned troubled. "How long will you be here? The mortals have been saying that the fighting is growing in intensity. Have you even got a horse?"

Loki pressed his lips together in a fine line, looking down at her. "I was working on figuring that little detail out when I saw you."

Anja's face was serious now. "Do you have your powers?" she whispered.

He chuckled again, but it was without humor this time. "No. This is my father's idea of a lesson to be learned, I'd suspect. For a month I am officially Captain James Nicholls of the 54th." His attempt at humor was not met with laughter.

Instead, Anja nodded, inhaling sharply as she looked down. "You are mortal then." It was a statement, but worry was etched in it. When he tilted her chin up with his hand, he could see the anxiety in her eyes.

"I am," he said simply. "But only for a little while."

Anja chewed her lower lip, her brow furrowing. "And you've no means to attain a horse?" Loki shook his head as Anja reached into the bag at her hip. When her hand resurfaced, he could see a handful of Midgardian money. She counted the coins carefully as she summoned a leather sack and tossed them into it.

"Anja-"

"That should do fine for a horse," she whispered as she took his hand and placed the pouch in it. "When do you leave?" She didn't let him thank her before she fired her next question.

"This afternoon," he said softly. "That was what they told me, anyways."

Anja nodded. She had never felt this sort of anxiety before for her lover and before she knew it she had thrown herself into his arms, crushing her body against his in a hug. He was stiff at first, but she soon felt his body relax into hers, his long arms wrapping around her torso as she rested her head on his chest. Her ear was against his heart, and suddenly the beat of it was the most precious thing in the world. The wool of his uniform was comforting, but so very different from the leather surcoat he was usually in. He placed his chin on top of her head, inhaling her scent.

"If you need me," she said quietly. "I'll be there." She could feel him nod at her words and she pulled away reluctantly. "Where will you be stationed?"

"A few miles in the east. After that I know not."

Again, she nodded. "Be safe," she whispered as she planted a kiss on his cheek. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

Loki felt his heart skip a beat to hear her say that. "I promise," he whispered before their lips melted together.

* * *

_**AN: Ok, am I the only one who wanted the girl in the car scene with Joey and Albert to make David stop? xD Sorry, I totally had to get that in there and figured Anja was the girl to do it! Albert's too much of a sweetie to be embarrassed like that :D I also plan on having Joey/Anja interactions throughout this piece and thought this would be a good way to get her on his good terms ;) **_

_**Like I said, there will be more like this, just with extra scenes and an all-around better treatment of the plot. I know for sure where I am going with it now and will update as soon as possible :D **_

_**-Sirius **_


	2. Chapter 2: The Stage is Set

_**Thanks for the reviews, guys! They mean a lot. :D Here's chapter two. A lot of it is stuff I have posted before, but I have embellished and made it a bit more involved. Plus I tried to rework the interactions between Anja and Loki. I think part of that was what was bugging me in the old version. Hope you guys like this better. **_

* * *

"_And in the middle of the night_

_I may watch you go_

_There'll be no value in the strength_

_Of walls that I have grown_

_There'll be no comfort in the shade_

_Of the shadows thrown_

_But I'd be yours if you'd be mine"_

_~ 'Lovers of the Light' by Mumford and Sons_

* * *

Loki left Anja a few minutes later, allowing her to get back to whatever work she had to do for her schooling. The afternoon had gotten hot under the wool of his uniform, and he could feel sweat begin to trail through his hair under his cap. The weight of Anja's money sat like lead in his satchel. He had never had to accept such a small amount from anyone.

But he needed a horse.

"Oy, Cap'n Nicholls is it?" a rather short stump of a man said to Loki as he made it within a few hundred feet of the horse.

He let out a huff of an annoyed breath, taking in the man that had come up to him. "Yes," he quipped.

"The name's Perkins, Sir. I was told you were in need of aid finding a horse."

Loki raised an eyebrow, looking at the little man. "I am indeed."

Perkins nodded understandingly. "'S alright there, Sir. Nothin' to be ashamed of. Lots of the men are in need of horses."

"Oh?" Loki- or James?- whoever he was at the moment -said.

Perkins nodded. "But if you got the money on ya, Sir, that one over there seems to be in tip top condition."

Loki turned back to where Perkins had indicated, sucking on the inside of his cheek. Sure enough, a great brown thoroughbred was standing over near the officer's table. "Right then," Loki said quietly. "Thank you."

"Don' mention it," Perkins said. "That horse is rumored to be one of the finest in Devon, maybe a little hard to handle, but that's not somethin' the army can't be curing sometin' of." Loki looked over at the older mortal standing in front of the horse. There was a tired and sad look about his eyes, even Loki, who probably lacked the most empathy in all of Asgard for another's suffering, could see that. "The farmer couldn't afford to keep up with his land so he's gone and brought the horse to sell."

Were the people of Midgard really so poor? Loki could not fathom such poverty. Even the poorest of the Aesir had been well off… but a horse was what he needed, preferably a horse that would get him through this little whim of the Allfather as safe as possible.

He had made a promise, after all. And Loki always kept his promise

*o*O*o*

There were few people that Loki could say he felt sorry for, and even fewer actual mortals. But as he finished the paper work for the brown thoroughbred named Joey, the trickster couldn't help but feel a slight pang of sympathy. He had been certain that this would be a most profitable deal… until a boy that could not have been sixteen ran up to him with tears in his eyes and begged him not to take the horse.

Perhaps it was the fact that Loki had been out and about for too long without his magical abilities, but he actually felt pity for the boy. He swallowed once as he faced the lad head on, easily slipping into the silver tongue's work as he tried to soothe the boy. He had had many an opportunity back in Asgard's courts to work around compromises and still come out on top.

"Well if Joey's goin', I'm comin' too." The boy had a thick accent, and Loki easily realized that he was a mere farm boy. He had no place in war. Not yet.

"I see, and what's your name, Lad?"

"Albert, Sir."

"And how old are you, Alber-"

"Nineteen, Sir." Albert responded far too quickly, the sign of a person who either wasn't used to lying or wasn't very good at it. Loki had seen Anja act in exactly the same fashion before… and the innocence of the lie struck him right in the heart.

"Is that the truth?" Loki said softly, waiting on the boy to come clean.

"No, Sir," Albert said through tears. "But I… I look nineteen and I'm bigger than most nineteen year olds and I'm not afraid of anything-"

"I don't doubt your qualifications, Albert, but the law was very clear about the proper age for soldiery." Loki spoke very quietly. He was familiar enough with the laws of Midgard to know that at least. Even in Asgard he had had to wait until he had fully reached manhood before he could join his father and brother on missions… But deep down, there was something about this boy that Loki could almost relate to. Despite the fact that he couldn't read mortal minds right now, he could see a boy that wanted desperately to be appreciated by his father, at the very least taken seriously. This situation was clear enough that while the horse had been Albert's, his father had brought the horse in to sell without so much as a glance at the boy who had trained it. In an abstract sense, Loki could see a younger version of himself in Albert.

Maybe that was why Loki almost had a hard time taking the side of the old man. Almost. He was quite certain that if the old man hadn't been the one willing to sell him the horse, he would have taken Albert's side.

"Now your father's done what he had to do. You know that. Thirty guineas isn't nearly enough to buy a horse as fine as your Joey, but it's all I've got." There. That was the silvertongue he knew so well. "Will you lease him to me, Albert? To be my own mount?" Loki reached up to remove his hat from where Anja had placed it on his head earlier, looking right into Albert's eyes. "I promise you man to man that I'll look after him as carefully and as respectfully as you have done. And If I can, I will return him to your care."

Albert was still upset, but Loki could tell that the lad felt a tad bit better about the situation, at the very least more at ease. But he still needed a horse, and despite the fact that he felt something akin to sympathy for the boy, he had no intention of allowing himself to suffer for it.

"Now," he said as he slipped his hat back on his head. "Say goodbye."

After Loki had spoken, he turned away from Albert. He had gotten what he had wanted, a horse to ride and a damn good one at that. After all, he was a god. Why in Valhalla should he care what he took from any mortal? But the essence of an unhappy son was still in heart… and Loki knew that even if he went home before the war was over that he would still ensure that the horse made it back to its rightful owner.

*o*O*o*

"Albert?"

Albert looked up from where he had gone to sit on the bridge that led out of town. His head had been in his hands, fingers wrapped in his hair as he stewed in his worry. He sniffled a bit when he looked up to see Anja Raeburn, the girl that had made sure he was alright when he had fallen off of Joey.

"Are you alright?" she asked, coming up to him. She looked down at him, realizing that he had been crying.

He stood up from his place on the ground, wiping his nose with the back of his shirt sleeve. "I'm fine," he said quickly, looking down as he composed himself. He hadn't meant to get this upset, but in truth he had never been more heartbroken.

Anja pursed her lips. She was able to skim a bit of this thoughts, realizing that Joey was not going to be with him for a time. She could see the back of a very tall officer speaking with him, felt the fear he had experienced… and his heartache now.

"Okay," she said after a moment. "Where's Joe-"

She stopped talking as he looked down at his feet. "He's fine. He'll be fine," Albert said quietly. Anja caught another stream of his thoughts… and the face of Loki's mortal form in his uniform flashed before her eyes. "A soldier bought him from my father… He's goin' to war today."

"Oh Loki," she murmured under her breath, realizing that Loki had been the one to buy the horse. Of course he would have gone for the best of the best.

Albert looked up at that. "What?"

Anja licked her lips, trying to cover up the slip. "I'm sorry," she said finally. Albert looked at her, biting his lower lip and nodding. "Can I help you at all?"

Albert looked down, shaking his head. "Thanks, Anja. But… I'll be fine. I'll be enlisting soon as I'm old enough. I'll find him. I know I will."

Anja smiled sadly, patting him on the arm. "I know he will."

Albert attempted to smile back at her. "Oh, who am I kidding," Albert said, falling back down to sit against the railing of the bridge. "The war's only going to get worse and Captain Nicholls'll be lucky if he makes it through. They don't respect horses in the army like we do here-"

"Albert . Don't think like that. I can promise you Joey will be alright."

And in that moment, she knew she had two lives to protect… and she knew exactly how she was going to do it.

In a snap decision, she left Albert, all but running to a point of cover so she would not be seen. She had been avoiding using her teleportation while in Midgard. It left her rather tired.

She made it back to her rooms, slipping through the corridors of the old building. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, running a hand through her braid in an effort to release it... and focusing all her energy on shortening her long curls to the style of a man.

She let out a smile as the white linen of her blouse turned to the rougher material of a soldier's collared shirt, and the green wool skirt she was wearing turned into pants.

*o*O*o*

"Ah, there's James now."

Loki's attention was caught by the sound of Charley's voice saying his mortal name. He was in a rather crowded restaurant and in truth he had been looking for Anja so he could say goodbye before the regiment left. Perkins had taken care of Joey, and at the moment Loki couldn't care less about the little mortal captain that had seemed to think they were best friends.

Until he saw the soldier that Charley had been talking to.

It was the silver eyes that gave her away, the soft curve of her lips that he had come to know far too well… but covering all of that was a very intricate and very convincing glamour spell that would fool any untrained eye. She still had an olive complexion and stood at the same height, but her face was slightly more chiseled… and her hair… her beautiful dark curls were gone, replaced with a style very similar to his current one. He wondered how she was hiding the more… obvious features that made it quite obvious that she was a woman. Glamour spells only went so far.

"James, meet Lieutenant Andrew Raeburn. He'll be moving out with us in the next hour or so. Just checked in, in fact!" Charley's voice was loud and happy over the noise of the restaurant as he clapped a hand down on "Andrew's" shoulder.

"Nice to meet you, Sir," she spoke with a voice that was only slightly deeper than her normal one. Anja reached out to shake Loki's hand, silver eyes dancing as she realized that he knew what she was up to. He had never shaken her hand before. He had always treated her like the lady she was, but he highly doubted that charley would take his kissing of a fellow officer's hand very well… This was all very, very strange.

"And you, Lieutenant," he responded wearily, merely for show. He was not sure at all how he felt about this. The Anja he had known in Asgard would never have been able to go through with such a strange act… let alone perform such a high level of sorcery.

"Major Stuart is just over there," Charley said cheerfully, indicating a rather tall and surly looking man. He looked to be in his late twenties, perhaps even his early thirties and was regarding everything around him with quite a critical eye. "He told me we'd be moving out within the hour and then I stumbled across Raeburn here. I was just telling him that I hoped you had found a horse by now."

Loki let out a laugh. "Well I did, Charley, and I will have you know that he is one of the finest beasts I have ever seen. I got him cheap too." He was saying that more so to Anja. Anja bit down on her lower lip at that, gazing back at Loki. He tilted his head in confusion ever so slightly.

Charley chuckled at that. "I am sure he is," he replied good-naturedly, looking over at "Andrew." "And how about you? Is your horse prepared to move out?" Loki looked back at Anja expectantly, waiting to hear her response to that.

Andrew smiled, and it was Anja's smile. "Yes," she said quietly. "We are ready."

Charley laughed again, patting her on the back once more. Loki had to fight the urge to strike the mortal for even putting a finger on his betrothed, but then he remembered that Charley had no idea that Lieutenant Raeburn wasn't a man.

"Well it certainly was good to meet all of you," Anja said in her man's voice. "I'll be needing to attend to another matter before we leave."

"Alright then, Raeburn!" Charley said. "We'll be seeing you soon!" Anja smiled once more at the mortal.

"Yes," Loki said pointedly as she tried to retreat. "We will be speaking very soon." He was still smiling, but Anja knew deep down that he was merely covering up the aggravation. The emerald of his eyes only hardened like that when he was aggravated.

*o*O*o*

Several minutes later, Anja slipped through the crowded restaurant, heading for the small water closet that was in the back of the room, slipping past several officers and even more enlisted men. All were happy and all were talking excitedly about the war effort. How on earth anyone could be happy about taking the life of another she had no idea.

She slipped into the bathroom, reaching up to pull on the chain that would turn on the light…. And inwardly smirking as she sensed Loki's presence behind her.

"I never realized how obvious you are without your powers, Loki," she said softly, stepping up to the counter and turning on the water of the sink. While she was on Midgard, she needed to keep in contact with water to ensure the glamour spell she had used didn't wear off. It was a tad bit more difficult for her to maintain such a difficult spell.

"And I never realized the gall you have, My Love." He stepped from his place, reaching towards the door and sliding the lock in place so they wouldn't be disturbed. The bathroom was small, just two stalls and a small sink and counter along the wall opposite of the green painted wooden stalls. The floors were tiled, grimy things after such a long day of soldiers putzing about in them.

She turned around, flicking water from her hands with her magic and drying them just as easily. "You do not like my new… style?" she asked, searching for the right Midgardian word. She was still in her uniform, her glamour spell still in place. She had gotten the appropriate feel for Loki's appearance when she had seen him earlier. The moment she had learned of his situation she had known she was going to do something to keep him safe. This just so happened to be the best course of action to stay close to him.

"You certainly have to be one of the most effeminate men I have ever seen in all my years," he chuckled as he stepped closer to her. "But in all honesty I believe this is madness."

Anja raised an eyebrow, lowering the spell on her face with ease… and then allowing her hair to return to its normal length. "Madness?" Anja said quietly. "I am coming to protect you."

"But you do not need to, Anja."

"I disagree." Her gaze flashed dangerously. "I will not let anything happen to you… or Joey."

Loki's eyes flashed at that. "You know the horse?"

Anja bit her lower lip nodding. "I was… out one day and I saw Joey and his owner."

Loki pressed his lips together in a fine line. "You were… out?"

Anja shrugged. "In an automobile. It was quite an experience-"

"You know how to drive those contraptions?" he said, stepping closer to her with a smirk.

Anja's eyes sparkled. "For your information I was with a rather silly mortal boy."

Was that jealousy that flashed through Loki's gaze? "You were with a boy?"

Anja rolled her eyes. "Yes. I wanted to take a ride for my report to the Academy."

"Oh," Loki said. The plane of his forehead was crinkling with a range of different expressions. Anja stepped closer to him, the two now toe to toe in the bathroom.

"Loki Odinson," she said with a smile, lacing her fingers with his. "Are you jealous?"

Loki let out a snort, shaking his head. "Hardly."

Anja smiled again, cupping his face in her hand. "Because you know that you are my all. Do you think I would be standing here in a mortal man's clothes to protect you if I didn't?"

He cut his eyes at her, before seamlessly changing the subject. Anja chewed her lower lip, arms crossed as he walked right up to her and took her chin in his long fingered hand. "Do you even know how to ride?"

Anja rolled her eyes, pulling her face from his grasp. "I know a fair amount. The Academy taught me many things."

"And do you know how to shoot? How to fight with a sword?" Out of nowhere, Loki reached down to pull out the small pistol she had in the holster at her hip. "Is this for show?" he said condescendingly.

Anja tilted her head to the side at that, looking up at him. "I will learn. Half of these men do not know how to do such things."

Loki chuckled again, laughing without humor. "You are such a rare woman," he said quietly. His green eyes flashed in the lighting of the bathroom. "I do not doubt you for a second. But you are staying here." He finished speaking as he placed the unloaded revolver back at Anja's hip.

She watched him put it back in place, securing the snap before he planted a gentle kiss to her forehead and turned away from her. She stared down at the gun a moment, letting him walk three steps away from her. "How will you stop me?" she asked suddenly.

"What?"

"How will you stop me?" she repeated. "If I want to go, I shall. I have the abilities to hide myself… and you are in no position to stop me."

Loki let out a huff of exasperation as he looked back in her eyes, stepping right back up to her. "You are going to be the death of me," he whispered as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Anja suppressed a shiver to feel him so close again… and let out a little shriek as the quiet, seductive tone he had taken with her turned to playfulness and he picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder as he carried her towards the small counter of the sink like a bag of feed.

"Loki!" she said deliberately, looking over his shoulder and pounding on his back with her fists. Her booted feet kicked out in an attempt to make him put her down. Despite her magic, she was no match for his strength. The wool of their uniforms rubbed against each other and she fought to remain coherent as he placed her between his body and the counter, placing his hands on either side of her. She crossed her arms, refusing to meet his gaze…

"Anja," he growled, leaning into her and tracing her nose with his own gently. It was oddly sensual, and he inhaled as he forced her to look at him. His lips never brushed hers, even when he took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. She ignored the hot feel of his breath cascading over her lips.

"I am coming with you," she stated simply, regaining her composure. "I have it all planned out." Loki licked his lower lip, pulling away to glance down at her lips. His eyes widened involuntarily as she subconsciously rubbed her belly against his already evident arousal… or perhaps it was not as subconscious as she wanted him to believe. The spark in her gaze certainly made him think otherwise.

"You will drive me to insanity and back won't you?" he whispered silkily, trying so very hard to retain the groan that was building up in his chest. "But how easily you forget…" he kissed her chastely on the lips before lifting her up on the counter of the sink in an effort to get as close to her body as possible, "I can play this game too…"

*o*O*o*

As soon as Loki had lifted Anja up, he had shot a leg in between her knees and forced her legs apart so he could step into her. He grinned into the tender skin just under her ear when she let out a small gasp at the feel of him against her. Despite the thick wool that shielded them from each other, he knew that his touch was making her come undone against him.

He pulled away from his place at her neck, looking down into her eyes as he tilted his head. He reached up to the neck tie she was wearing, the high collar of her uniform keeping him from gaining access to her throat.

"I'm sure I'll be growing tired of this often," he whispered hoarsely as he tugged on the dark green bit of fabric lightly to indicate what he was talking about.

"And I am sure you can make quick work of it, if you desire, Captain," she said mischievously, cupping his face in both of her hands and letting them slide down to his own high collar. He groaned again.

"Maybe I will show you how… restricting it can be one night, My Lady," he whispered seductively, smiling as she gasped at the feel of his teeth at her earlobe. A few moments later, he pulled away, looking back at her, serious now. "There is no changing your mind?" he whispered, meeting her gaze intently.

Anja smiled at that, licking her lips before replying with a shake of her head. "I am here on independent study, after all. This can be my project."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I am quite certain you will be the first female to go back and report of something so… male-oriented."

Anja shrugged, scooting a bit closer into his body. She was already putty in his hands and she knew he knew it too. Her pants would make it rather hard for them to… well…

"Then I shall be the first. Countless Midgardian females have disguised themselves to go to war. I see no difference between myself and them."

"You are everything they are not," Loki said quickly, wrapping a hand down to the small of her back and pulling her flush against him. Her back arched as he ground his hips into hers, rocking his arousal against her center with a roll of his hips. He hated that he couldn't feel the warmth between her thighs with this blasted uniform! "No one could ever measure up to you."

Anja chuckled again, pulling him in for a kiss. Their tongues danced, and Anja's fingers found their way to his shortened hair before winding into it and pulling him even closer.

His own hands were at the buttons of her outer coat, trying to undo them but not succeeding. She smiled into his kiss as she realized what he was trying to do. "We really should get back," she whispered as her hands went down to take his own and she pulled away from his lips. As much as she wanted to go further, she knew it would be highly impractical, let alone improper, to let him take her in a rundown bathroom with so much going on around them.

He smiled as his forehead came to rest on her own, eyes closed as he inhaled her scent. "You always knew best, didn't you?" he asked quietly.

Anja laughed again. "I'd like to think so," she whispered as she kissed his lips once more. "But we really… really…" she trailed off as his lips travelled to her jaw and her head dropped back again. How could he make her forget everything with a simple touch?!

She let out a small cry as his teeth came down on the sensitive patch of skin just above her collar. "Shh," he said quietly, his breath hot in her ear. He was so close to her. Her entire world consisted of him in that moment. "Have you any idea how much I want you right now?"

"The feeling- The feeling is mutual… but… we need to go," Anja sighed as he moved to the other side of her neck. The high collar of her uniform was becoming quite aggravating at this point and both the heat from the room they were in and the state he had driven her to were driving her mad. She wanted so very badly to be naked before him and she wondered if she would ever have enough of him.

*o*O*o*

He pulled away from her all too quickly, stepping back and helping her down from the counter. Her leather boots hit the ground softly, and she looked up at his appearance as he attempted to smooth his hair back to the pristine state he had had it in before her hands had found it.

She was readjusting her own uniform in the mirror while he attempted to right himself, and when she turned back around she had to fight to contain the giggle that erupted in her chest. Despite his attempts to smooth his hair over, it was still quite obvious that someone's hands had been in it. The part was neat, but from there it got quite messy. His golden hair fell from the part, slipping out into a sort of wavy mess sticking out in every direction. She walked back up to him in two steps, lifting her hands and smoothing it back to how it had been with a bit of her own magic.

"You rely on magic far too much, Loki," she whispered as she fixed his hair for him. "Whatever shall I do with you?"

Loki laughed at that, kissing her forehead. "Says the girl who plans on following me into battle disguised with a glamour spell."

* * *

_**In response to the anon. review I got:**_

_**Skywalker: Hey! Um, well, all the pictures I have of Anja can be found in the cover photos for the first two stories involving these two. The first is in Deep and Dark and Dangerous. It is just of her. The second is of her and Loki, and you can find that in Starless Skies' cover photo. I originally had a deviantart account, but I hardly go on it anymore. That's why the link is gone from my profile xD I guess I need to edit that bit of wherever you read it! Keep in mind they're just some sketches of mine that I did very quickly, but you get the idea :D Hope you like them!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Preparing for War

"_Stretch out my life_

_And pick the seams out_

_Take what you like_

_But close my ears and eyes_

_Watch me stumble over and over"_

* * *

Anja left Loki several minutes later, slipping in with the rest of the lieutenants that had formed up. She hadn't meant to make herself a lower rank than Loki was but she had said the first thing to come to mind when she had been adding her name to the list of officers. There couldn't have been that much of a difference, could there? But she had been mistaken and Loki had informed her of that after she tried to follow him to the higher ranking officers' cars. Her glamour spell was back up, carefully crafted after she had helped Loki with his own appearance.

"Raeburn!" Lieutenant Waverly's voice rang loud and clear from beside her over the noise of the crowd and she turned to see the little mortal walking up with his own horse to stand beside her.

"Charley," she said in greeting.

She would be walking with her horse to the training grounds, something that didn't bother her too terribly much, but it also meant that she wouldn't be seeing Loki until they got there. It might even be longer. The regiment still hadn't moved out, and she found herself standing in the afternoon sun of Devon. The only things that surrounded her were soldiers and horses, and she resigned herself to the fact that this would be all she knew for the next few weeks. In truth, she felt like a heroine from one of the many books she loved, a lady finally getting to prove herself as a man's equal.

"You ready to get moving?" Charley said with a grin. He rolled up onto the balls of his feet once, twice, three times as if he were preparing for a run.

Anja smiled, nodding as she readjusted her cap in the morning light.

"Good," Charley said with a grin. "Lord knows I'm ready to get out there."

"Oh?" Anja said quietly, prodding him to keep speaking.

Charley glanced back her way, the smile on his face falling a bit as he realized she was not as excited as she was about where they were going. "Of course!" he said, a small hand reaching up to stroke his horse's nose. "We are fighting for God and country. What could be more honorable?"

Anja tilted her head to the side, glancing up at where Loki was. "I do not know," she said quietly, trying in vain to understand the mortal's way of thinking. Charley seemed pleased with her response though, and turned to face forward as a higher-ranking officer walked by. She made a mental note to add this conversation with Charley into her report.

Ahead of her, Anja could see Joey. She was just behind Sargent Perkins, a battle axe of a horseman that had aided her with adjusting the saddle on her own horse earlier that day. Just in front of him, Loki was getting into a shiny car, the smile that had been on his face when he had been with her quickly disappearing as he became surrounded by mortals once more.

With that thought in mind, Anja turned her gaze to the white horse that would be her greatest weapon besides her magic for the next month. She had named it Quicksilver, an animal that The Academy had given to her for her stay in this realm. She had been told to use it at her discretion.

Her cover kept the sun out of her eyes to a degree, and she inhaled slowly as she calmed her nerves. Her pack was on the horse, all of the belongings she had brought to Midgard packed and ready to go.

"Platoon!" Anja's head shot up at the sound of one of the company commanders' voices. It was coming from behind her and she was just able to make out the top of the man's head that had spoken walking at a brisk pace throughout the ranks of enlisted men. Some were in uniform, but the ones that had just signed up were in civilian wear. "Attention!"

Anja looked to Perkins to see what she was supposed to do, but the Sargent seemed to just be standing by Joey, making sure that the horse was staying where it was supposed to. For some reason, Anja got the feeling that that horse was not like the others. Anyone could see that it was high strung, but there was something else there as well… something of the gods.

"Forward; March!"

At that, the group of men Anja had found herself within began to move forward. This was it. There was no going back. She fought the smile that threatened to spread across her face as she realized just how bold a move she was actually making. Her sister Selena would no doubt have a heart attack if she knew what Anja was doing, let alone the atrocious clothing she had donned for the occasion. Anja could see the back of Loki's head, the blond hair far too foreign to her in the afternoon sun.

Then her attention was directed to a young lad that came from seemingly nowhere in the crowd, a red banner of some sorts hanging from his hand as he made for Loki's horse. He lunged for Joey, trying to tie the red bit of material onto Joey's harness. Anja sucked in a breath as she realized it was Albert… before dropping her head low in an attempt to avoid being recognized. She knew that she had nothing to worry about, but the action was subconscious.

"This isn't the end, My Brother," the boy said. If Anja had not been so fine tuned in her magical abilities, she would not have heard him. "We will see each other again. I will find you!"

Perkins went to beat the boy away, but Loki had turned around at that point and Anja saw something in his gaze that rarely showed. "Leave him be, Perkins," Loki said sternly. Anja was slightly taken aback to see him behave in such a way, but it warmed her heart to see the lad walk all the way to the bridge on the outskirts of the city with Joey. All around her, the crowd on either side of the ranks went wild, waving, throwing flowers, anything for the troops.

Further up in the automobile, Loki was facing forward, ignoring the cries and cheers of the mortals. They meant nothing to him, just as this war did. He was able to make out a few couples that were obviously lovers making their last goodbyes. At least he did not have to think on that… he only had to worry about his Anja being put in danger on the field of battle.

*o*O*o*

Anja's feet were battered and blistered by the time the regiment made it to the training barracks. Anja hadn't been expecting the grandeur of the place itself, let alone stables. The housing barracks were a dominating part of the landscape, white and pure against the rolling hills that surrounded them.

She came to a halt behind Perkins as the enlisted men behind her branched off to go to their own barracks, she supposed. As she came to a stop, Perkins turned to her, nodding for her to come up next to him.

"Raeburn, right?" he said in his thick accent.

"Yes Sir," Anja said, trying her best to sound confident.

"The stables are that way. Take your horse over to the stable boys there and they'll get you set up." As he spoke, Perkins tilted his head towards the large buildings to the east, away from the great yellow building that resembled a house. Anja nodded, silver eyes cutting up from under the shade of her cap to meet Perkins' gaze. Her magic only went so far, and she feared that her glamour spell might slip any moment.

"Thank you," she said quietly, taking Quicksilver's reigns and steering him towards the direction that Perkins had indicated.

*o*O*o*

Anja let out a huff of irritation as she tried to pull her pack off of Quicksilver's back. Quicksilver turned his head back to look at her, and she could have sworn the beast was mocking her as she went back to trying to pry the heavy leather from the saddle.

"Well, you'd be weak too if all you ever did was study," she whispered to the horse, hands working to steady the pack so it wouldn't fall in the hay of the stables that were under her feet.

With a final tug, she managed to pull the leather sack off of the horse… and it nearly toppled on top of her.

She would have fallen to the ground had a set of strong hands not come out to catch her.

"Please do not go giving me anymore reason to worry for you, Lieutenant." Loki's voice was calm in her ear as he shifted his grip to under her arms and lifted her back up. Her head had come to rest against his chest as she tried to regain her footing, and she was slightly thankful for the men's clothes she was wearing. They made recovering from a near fall like the one she had just run into much easier.

She turned to face him, staggering under the weight of her pack as she realized that her cover had fallen off and landed in the mud. Loki pressed his lips together in a fine line, bending down and placing the dirty cap back on Anja's head. "Here," he said softly as he reached out to take the pack from her.

"I can handle it, thank you, Captain," she said with a determined gleam in her eye. Loki merely rolled his eyes, reaching forward anyways to take the bag from her.

He looked left, then right as he shifted the heavy bag onto his shoulders, smirking down at her. "You look tired," he said softly. Anja smiled wanly, passing off the reigns of her horse to a stable boy.

"I will be fine," she replied after a moment. "I had not planned on walking eight miles today though, I must confess."

Loki pressed his lips together in a fine line, looking back at the men that were going about their business with very little heed to the two. He still kept his voice low when he spoke though. "Anja, you are no warrior."

Anja rolled her eyes at that. "We are back to that again, are we?" Loki looked down, nostrils flaring and sucking in on his cheeks. He nodded as he waited on her to respond.

"This is no place for a woman," he said softly… and as soon as he said the words he knew he would regret them.

Something flashed in Anja's gaze at that, and it was a look of anger. "This _sorceress_," she said quietly as she indicated herself. "Is here to protect you. Now I'll take my bag if you please, sir, and be on my way. I'll see you at training tomorrow morning."

"Anja-"

"It's Raeburn," Anja said sharply, looking back at Loki. "Lieutenant Raeburn. Now good day to you, Captain."

Loki fought the urge to smile at Anja's spunk as she walked out of the stables, still struggling a bit from the weight of her bag, but trying very, very hard to hide it in front of him. Even with the glamour spell, Loki could tell that it was Anja's way of walking as she went to find her barracks.

*o*O*o*

Anja's mouth dropped open as she looked into the set of rooms that all of the officers in the regiment were given. It was an apartment style suite, one bed in the far end of the room and the other at the end closest to the door. It was all very well furnished, obviously once a summer home of one of the English mortals no doubt.

Once she was through the door, she dropped her heavy bag at her feet. The room was deserted, but she could already see a leather sack resembling her own on the bed closest to where she stood: the possessions of her suite mate, no doubt. Her suite mate must have been at dinner, because she soon found the rooms to be deserted. Pleased that she could use her magic undetected, she flicked her little finger and summoned the heavy bag across the room and to her bed. Once it had made it to its mark, the backpack plopped down on the soft mattress, sinking down a bit in the soft comfort. That bed was going to be quite welcome to her once she was cleaned up a bit.

*o*O*o*

The mess hall was quite interesting, far different from what Loki had been expecting of a mortal military unit. The officers' dining hall was furbished in a set of two long tables, large enough to allow all of the officers to sit and eat at the same time. Loki counted himself as fortunate that he didn't have to undergo the mess hall procedures of the enlisted men. He seemed to have more freedom as an officer at the very least. He barely paid any heed to the dark, wood paneled walls and the hard wood floors, trying to focus on eating and returning to his quarters before any other mortal tried to make friends with him.

"Captain Nicholls."

Loki looked up from his plate at dinner, half expecting to see Anja's glamour spell looking back at him. What he got instead was Charley and the man that Charley had indicated to be Major Stuart earlier that day sitting down to join him at his end of the great table.

"Hello Charley," Loki said with a small smile before he turned his icy gaze to the Major sitting across from him.

"Jamie, this is Captain James Nicholls," Charley said with a smile from his seat beside Loki as he took a sip of water. "Jim, this is Major Stuart."

"Pleasure," Loki said, his lips hardly moving as he reached across the table to shake hands with the mortal officer. Something about the way this man carried himself made every single competitive bone in Loki's body feel as if it was on fire. He had a very sharp and angular face, matched with a sharp and angular body. A small mustache sat atop his upper lip, something that would have been atrociously out of style for a man back in Asgard. In fact, Loki wondered if it was even in style on Midgard. But judging by the way that Jamie seemed to carry himself, it was quite clear that the mortal wouldn't have cared either way. Loki liked that.

"Captain," Jamie said as he went to his own plate. "I've been hearing nothing but good things about you all afternoon." He spoke in a rather snide manner, as if Loki was nothing more than the boiled potato chunks that the Major's fork had just speared.

Loki raised an eyebrow, looking over at Charley. The little mortal just raised his own eyebrows, shrugging as he leaned back in his seat. Jamie was looking back at his food now, clearly not taking any interest in the idea of being sociable.

"So when do we start training?" Loki said quietly, trying to gain a bit more information from the mortal Major. Any information he could gain to help him help Anja would be a great advantage… besides, if there was one thing Loki couldn't stand, it was being ignored, particularly by a mortal.

Jamie looked up from his plate, crystal blue eyes meeting Loki's emerald ones as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Tomorrow morning, 0600." Jamie sat back as Charley had, looking to Loki across the table. "I want to make sure we have a cavalry that can shoot and wield a sword before we go to the lengths of a full-scale practice charge."

Loki tilted his head to the side at that, definitely interested in this mortal now. He was far sharper than Charley was, that much was evident. But there was a sense of arrogance there, some fatal flaw that Loki had seen in his brother on rare occasion. The Warriors Three might have even said Loki had it and he wasn't in any position to disagree.

"We'll be sending the announcement of tomorrow's schedule out later on tonight. My superiors and I want to make sure the men get settled in as well as the horses." Jamie said coolly, spearing a bit of pork and lifting it to his mouth. He clearly thought he was the Norns' gift, as they would have said in Asgard.

Loki nodded, reaching for the last bit of bread on his plate and popping it in his mouth as Charley started going off on another one of his tangents.

Oh yes, this was going to be quite an interesting ride indeed.

* * *

_**Ok! So the chapters will be getting a tad bit shorter from here on out, simply because it won't be such a repeat of what I had posted before. I am much more pleased with the way this one is turning out. I don't know, I guess I just feel like I have a better grip on what I'm writing about. xD **_

_**I know I've said it before, but am I the only one that can see a bit of Loki in Captain Nicholls in the actual movie? (I'm talking nice, non-crazy, mind void of bag full of cats!Loki) **_

_**Also, for the house that I have these guys (and Anja) ;) living in, I am basing it very much so off of the quarters of the pilots in the movie "Flyboys." It is an amazing movie for any WWI fanatic, but if it helps you guys understand where I'm coming from when I describe the house they are staying in then that's even better! I wish they had shown a bit more of where the men were staying in War Horse. *sigh* **_

_**Also, quick question, not trying to commit or anything. Do you guys want her suite mate to be Loki? I'm not sure about that idea and wanted to run it by you all. I'm not promising anything… just taking an unofficial poll. I feel like that would make things to easy, but then on the other hand… I could do so much with them having a bit of private time to themselves (And not just in the nasty way, I promise ;) ) **_

_**Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Please keep em coming as I live for feedback. **_

_**-Sirius**_


	4. Chapter 4: Bang!

Anja tossed and turned in the large bed, trying and failing to get comfortable. The mattress was too soft, too perfect. Her bed back at the Academy had been a rickety thing, narrow and full of points from where the springs had started to push into. Mistress Elena had claimed that discomfort was a way for a sorcerer to learn, to fine tune their abilities even when they were asleep. To Anja, sleep deprivation was not a way to make oneself stronger.

She sat up in bed, letting one of her hands glide over the top of her head to the small bun she had tucked her hair into while she slept. She was unable to maintain the glamour spell while she was asleep for obvious reasons, but her suite mate had seemed a bit far gone from the long walk to even notice through the dark of the room when she had lowered the spell to sleep. The fact that she had a small, folding divider between their beds helped too.

Deciding she would never get to sleep if she didn't calm down a bit, she slung the covers off of her body and slipped her woolen-socked feet into the leather riding boots that had become her best friend in the past twenty-four hours. Thinking of the severe temperature drop she had encountered earlier, she slipped into her officer's sweater and walked quietly to the small window. It was standard issue, something that they had given her when she had signed in back in Devon. At the time, she hadn't thought she would need it. But the temperature had dropped considerably as the sun had gone down.

She glanced over at her suitemate carefully. He was a shorter man, coming from the south of England- or so he had told her. His name was Allen Sinclair. He had seemed nice enough, despite the tired look in his eyes. His soft snores drifted over to her and she bit her lip, unlocking the window as quietly as she could with her magic.

She looked back to the bed, creating a projection of "Andrew's" form to remain in the bed while she was gone, before she ducked out of the window and landed solidly on her feet two stories below.

*o*O*o*

The woods behind the house and stables were thick, but beautiful. They very much reminded her of her own home of Vanaheim in truth. She closed her eyes, letting the glamour spell she had had on since midday slip from her features. She let out a sigh as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Her long curls flowed freely down her back as she focused on the center of her forehead in meditation.

She could hear everything in the woods, the heavy trees surrounding her from her place not twenty feet from the large expanse of lawn that led back to the stables. She could see the large, rounded roof of her barracks when she opened her eyes, but that was it.

She closed her eyes again, taking in the sounds of the night life around her. It was much more peaceful out here than it had been in Devon. Her nights in Devon had been filled with the sound of drunken mortals coming in and out of the taverns that lined the outskirts of the little town. She lifted her hand to the bun on her head, running her fingers through it as it cascaded down her shoulders. She felt completely and utterly alone out here…

So when she felt a gentle hand come down on the back of her head to stroke her curls, her silver gaze flew open, and she had teleported away from the offending touch and into the nearest tree via her mist state. Her eyes were wide in the moonlight as she struggled to see who else was in these woods with her.

What she got instead was a chuckle emerging from the depths of blackness that covered the forest floor. She knew that laugh anywhere.

"Loki," she said with a roll of her eyes from her perch in the tree.

"It's Captain Nicholls to you, Lieutenant," he whispered back from his place at the ground. "Now come back down here. That's an order."

Anja pursed her lips, raising an eyebrow as she deliberated what she wanted to do. "I don't know that I want to," she quipped, fighting the satisfied smirk that threatened to stretch across her face.

All that replied to her was silence. She looked back at the training grounds from her place in the branches of the tree, a soft wind stirring her dark curls. "You could always come up here," she said, knowing full well there was no way he would be able to get where she was without his powers.

"Well, for what I want to do to you right now, I hardly think a tree branch is the best place to be," his voice was a mere whisper, ghosting up to her from where he stood below.

Anja's eyes went wide at what he was insinuating. "Perhaps I do not wish for that tonight, Captain," she replied in the same tone. "Perhaps I am a bit aggravated with you after what you said to me this afternoon."

She quite liked being up in a tree and out of his reach. Without his touch, she was able to keep a clear head and give that silver tongue of his a run for his money. She could hear him let out an exasperated laugh again, and his footsteps shifted to the foot of the tree. He stepped into a pool of moonlight, and she was able to make out that he was no longer in his formal uniform, his suspenders hanging off of his shoulders.

Was he not cold?!

"That hurts, My Lady," he replied with a mock hand over his heart. "Really, I am quite choked up." He placed both hands against the rough bark of the tree, barely able to make out her silhouette in the top braches without his heightened senses. Anja rolled her eyes. His trickster side was going full swing tonight, even if his powers were not up to par. "Just come down. Please."

Anja deliberated for another second, waiting a full minute after she had made the decision to come down before actually doing so. She landed lightly on her feet in front of him, long curls whipping about her face as she steadied her footing and retained her solid form.

"What brings you out here?" he asked quietly as he looked down his nose at her.

Anja shrugged, looking at her surroundings. "I couldn't sleep."

"Ah," Loki said softly. "Nor could I." His hands went to grasp her hips, and Anja fought the urge to melt into him right then and there. "What is wrong?" he asked quietly when he noticed her resistance to his touch.

"Nothing," she murmured, pulling away and crossing her arms.

Loki tilted his head to the side, questions burning in his eyes. "Are you certain of that?" Anja looked back at him, biting her lower lip and shifting from foot to foot. Then a small, knowing smile touched his eyes and he reached back to take her hand. In that moment, he knew she was nervous- even if she was unaware of it herself. He knew her too well by now. If it had been another person, he may have simply stated the obvious, but for Anja… He held his silvertongue.

"I have my own set of rooms in the house," Loki said softly. The burning desire he had held for her just moments ago was gone now. "They are just to the left at the end of the western hall should need me." Anja's gaze flicked up to meet his for a moment, and he knew exactly what was going through her mind. "For any reason," he added on, giving her hand a squeeze.

Anja smiled at that, nodding as she let out a deep breath.

"Now," he said, stepping closer to her and placing a hand on each of her shoulders. He squeezed lightly, massaging her as she subconsciously relaxed into him. "We should probably be getting back."

Anja let out a sigh, nodding. "I would be inclined to agree," she said softly.

"Are you certain you wish to spend the night alone?" he said as they began to walk back towards the edge of the forest. "Because you can come back with me if you-"

"I assure you, I will be quite fine," she said quickly. Loki stopped walking, looking down his nose at her once more… before a devilish smirk crossed his lips again and he pulled her closer.

"It's rather cold," he whispered. In truth the cold did not bother him one bit. He quite liked it but he had seen her shiver… and a bed mate was quite an enticing prospect. He slipped a long fingered hand down to the top of her breeches, slipping two fingers under the hem and pulling her into him. He smiled as her breath hitched in his ear. "Far too cold for a young woman such as you to be alone."

Anja chewed her lower lip for a moment, looking back up to meet his gaze. She was still flush against him, one of her own hands resting on his shoulder. "It's just… I…"

"Yes?" he said, prodding her forward.

"I want to serve my time properly. We are training for war. I want to be ready and in the same mindset as everyone else here."

"And your point?" Loki asked as he furrowed his brows together. All Anja could see was the change in shadows on his brow as testament to his confusion.

"I do not wish to give myself to you. Not yet," she replied evenly, a small smile stretching across her face as she realized that he was slightly disappointed. She knew she was being cruel to a degree, but the comment he had said to her earlier that day still stung a bit. She wouldn't let him off the hook that easily.

"Are you making me pay for my concern for you, My Darling?" he asked quietly, reading her mind. "You would deny your betrothed?"

Anja smiled fully then, pulling from his grasp as she met his gaze. "I think I'll need a bit more… persuading before we get to that once more," she whispered seductively in his ear, leaning into him delicately so all that he felt of her was her breath. He shuddered, and when he opened his eyes she was still there. "And in truth, perhaps you should be considering the impropriety of trying to seduce a fellow officer. What would Major Stuart think!?"

There was a smile in her voice, and Loki rolled his eyes once more before his gaze turned heated. Something changed in his eyes, and she realized that it was an animal-like lust a second too late. So she wanted persuasion?

"I want you," he whispered hoarsely. "Right here. Right now." He leaned in to kiss her cheek, and she permitted it as he moved to speak in her ear. "I need you, Anja. On the forest floor… And you know you want it as well." His teeth grazed her earlobe as he nudged her backwards towards the tree that she had just come down from, a long-fingered hand resting at her hip and caressing it. "Shall we go slow and sweet?" he murmured, the tip of his finger circling her left breast. "Or fast and rough?" he squeezed down on her breast at that and she practically convulsed. But her sweater muffled his touch quite a bit, and her undershirt was tucked into her pants, so she did not lose herself to him as she normally did. She knew this was simply his silvertongue trying to convince her… and gods was it working.

But she was stronger than that. She would not give into his seductions until she wanted to. She closed her eyes, willing the whimper that wanted to come from her chest to turn into the words she wanted to form.

"That wasn't what you said earlier," she whispered back, teasing him as she slipped a hand up to rest at the back of his head and he feathered the exposed part of her throat in tender kisses. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head ever so slightly, and her will was battling with her desires already. She allowed herself to kiss his own neck, working her way up to his ear. "As I said," she whispered in his ear. "I'll need a bit of persuading… But not tonight."

Loki pulled away from her once more, looking down at her with a crooked smile.

"But I must say that was a wonderful attempt, My Prince." His blonde hair flashed in the moonlight, standing out along with his pale skin. As he leaned in to plant a kiss on her lips, however, she disappeared into mist. "Goodnight, Loki," she whispered, and it lingered on the air long after she left him out in the woods.

Loki smiled a bit, laughing at himself as his lover disappeared. That spirit was what had made him fall for her in the first place; so similar to his own, but so wholly innocent. They still had a long while on Midgard, after all, and the silver tongue had never failed to get him what he wanted- even if the results took a bit longer to achieve than was desirable.

*o*O*o*

Anja looked down at the weapon that had been handed to her, silver gaze wide as she took in the long rifle. Perkins was standing in the armory, passing out rifles to the officers to practice that day. Her glamour spell was up, carefully recrafted after seeing Loki the night before. Charley Waverly was behind her, talking to one of his friends behind her in line.

"How are you this morning, Raeburn?" Charley asked as she held the rifle awkwardly in the morning sun. Charley had his gun now as well and upon seeing her he had had come up to stand by her. "Sleep well?"

Anja smiled at him. "I tried," she admitted.

Charley nodded, understanding in the brown of his eyes. "It's always rough the first night. Is this your first tour?"

Anja looked at him blankly for a moment before she realized that he was asking her if this was her first actual active duty. "Oh, um, yeah," she said in the best imitation of a mortal that she could. "Just nervous, I suppose."

Charley gave her a smile, patting her on the shoulder with his free hand. "We all get nervous. This is only my second time go round. My last was in India a year ago."

Anja raised an eyebrow in interest. She had not been to India yet. "What's it like?" she asked quietly as she looked back down at her weapon and tried to shift it in her grip.

"Oh, hot and dry- except for monsoon season. I didn't care for it. The water didn't agree with me." Anja pressed her lips together, nodding once more. "Why are you holding your gun like that?" Charley said after a moment.

"I… um…" Anja looked down at the awkwardly positioned rifle in her hands. She realized that she probably looked like she was ready to fend somebody off at any moment.

"Here," Charley said as he repositioned it in her hands so the butt of the gun was resting on the ground. "You hold this part with one hand-"He pointed to the wooden part of the gun just before the barrel began. "And put your other hand over it." He stepped away to hold his own gun in the way he was showing her. "It's called 'at ease'."

Anja nodded before thanking him. "I suppose I just… forgot. Nerves and all that."

Charley seemed to look at her funny for a moment before she heard Loki's voice coming up from behind her. "Good morning, James," Charley said good-naturedly.

Loki looked directly at Charley for a half a second before he looked to Anja. She smiled at him politely, noticing as his eyes went down to the gun she was holding in her hands. "Good morning," he replied a half beat too late.

Charley didn't seem to notice though and he looked back to his gun. "I was just talking to Andrew here about his gun."

Captain Nicholls raised a single blonde eyebrow, looking at Lieutenant Raeburn with amusement. Anja felt her cheeks flush in the morning air from embarrassment… a feeling that only intensified as she realized that Loki was holding his gun perfectly. How did he even know how? Was there anything he _didn't_ know how to do?

"Well, we all have to start somewhere, don't we, Andrew?" Loki asked as he waggled his eyebrows. Anja sucked in on her cheek, trying to hold her tongue.

"That we do, Old Sport," Charley said. He looked down at a gold wristwatch before looking back in the direction of the main house.

"Platoon!" Anja's head shot up at that, looking in the direction of the man that Charley had claimed to be Major Stuart back in Devon as he spoke. "Fall in."

Charley looked at the two expectantly, joining in on the ranks of the other twenty or so officers in the morning air. Anja felt Loki's grip on her shoulder, holding her back as one would a man. "You'll be sticking close to me, Raeburn," Loki said with a smile plastered to his face. Then a bit more quietly in her ear, "Trust me, you don't want Jamie Stuart teaching you how to shoot your first time."

Anja furrowed her brow, and for a second, Loki was able to see her full feminine face as the glamour spell shifted in the morning air. Then it was quickly back in place as she started towards her place in the ranks just before Major Stuart called the officers to attention. Loki was right beside her, even as they turned right and began to march as one towards the training fields.

*o*O*o*

"No, Anja," Loki whispered in her ear hoarsely. "Like this." She tried in vain to ignore the feel of his hands on her, willing her to the way he wanted her.

Anja let out an exasperated sigh, readjusting her position a bit. "Like that?"

"No."

"Then how do you want me to do it then?"

Bang!

Anja cringed as the soldier's rifle that was next to her went off. Loki had been trying to help her for the past ten minutes, working with her on her form to shoot. Anja hated these weapons. They were too heavy and the recoil after shooting one was far harsher than anything she had felt before.

"Stuart's going to come over here soon and if you're not prepared…"

"Thank you, Captain," Anja said. "I understand."

She let out a humph and lifted the heavy gun back up to her shoulder, looking down the barrel and placing the sight exactly where she was aiming at. The target in front of her seemed to be mocking her, standing not a hundred yards away from her and bright red and white in the afternoon sun.

Her arms were well worn out after holding and shooting her gun all morning and she cursed her shaking hand as she aimed again. Then an idea hit her. Before she could fire the weapon, before she even thought about pulling the trigger, she stretched her mind to the small cavity that contained the ammunition of the great steel gun.

She focused on the round that was in it, getting a feel for the molecular basis of the little bullets. She turned her gaze to Loki, who had gone off to speak to Charley when he had grown too exasperated with her, and took aim again.

Bang!

Anja tried desperately not to cough at the gunsmoke, but the thought went away when she realized that she had sent her bullet straight into the heart of the target, a perfect ten.

*o*O*o*

Anja took in a deep breath, placing a hand to her throbbing shoulder as she made her way back to her rooms. She had never felt such a bruising pain in her life. The recoil, or 'kick' of the gun as Loki had called it, had left her right shoulder battered and bruised after a long day of shooting.

It had taken one or two tries before Anja had actually figured out a way to incorporate her magic into the speeding bullet. It wasn't too terribly hard once she trained her mind to focus as sharply as the bullet's speed. She had done well enough to shoot the required targets, and would be working with Quicksilver in the morning for a practice cavalry charge with the entire company.

That was the thing that had her heart racing, her blood pumping wildly in her ears as she took her cover off and slipped into the house. She needed to tend to the bruising on her shoulder before dinner, lest she be unable to handle the heavy sword that she would be wielding tomorrow morning.

Her suite mate was in the room as she made her way across it, washing up for dinner.

"You alright there, lad?" the man asked, looking back at her in the mirror. Anja forced a smile, waving him off.

"Yeah," she said, deepening her voice as best she could. "Just not used to long days is all. My dad's health back home had me out of service for a few months."

Allen shrugged. "Heard you were one of the best out there today though. If you don't watch it you may be gettin' a medal before we even leave training."

Anja smiled wryly through the pain in her shoulder, slipping the balm into the pocket of her pants discreetly. It was nothing familiar to the realm of Midgard, an instant healing potion she had made herself.

She bid Allen goodbye, heading down the hall to the water closet that was set up. She slipped inside, checking under each of the stalls until she was certain she was alone. She turned to her reflection in the mirror, finally a bit more accustomed to the idea of looking back at a man's reflection. Slowly, she began to unbutton the row of metallic buttons on her coat, glancing up every now and again to ensure no one was coming through the doors. She was certain she would be able to slip into a stall to wait out any man that may enter. Even the stealthiest mortal footsteps were uncommonly heavy to her heightened senses.

She thought she was alone until she turned around and tried very hard not to drop the jar of balm in her hand. Because Loki was standing in the doorway, heals pressed together as he stood ramrod straight. His officer's cover was tucked under his right arm, a small smile tugging about his lips as he watched her wide gaze. How had she not heard the door open?!

"Hello, Andrew," he said with a knowing smile before turning to lock the door behind him. "Thought you might need some help after your training today." Anja blinked once as Loki came up to her, looking down at the small jar of healing ointment in her hand. "Ah, this is some good medicine," he said conversationally, unscrewing the lid with a long fingered hand to peer into the jar's contents.

"I… was just going to the lavatory to put it on," she said softly. Loki looked back up to her gaze, lips pressed in a fine line.

"Did the gun bother you that badly?" he asked. A bit of caring touched his emerald gaze at that.

Anja shrugged, but even that hurt her arm a bit. "Yes," she admitted quietly, not meeting his gaze.

Loki let out an exasperated sigh. "Whatever are we going to do with you, Little Anja?" he said quietly.

Anja rolled her eyes. "I just need medicine. I'll be fine."

She watched him carefully as he tilted his head to the side and studied her. "Very well," he said after a moment's deliberation. "Come with me."

Anja raised an eyebrow, looking at him. "Where?" she said softly.

He had already started towards the door of the bathroom, jar of medicine in hand, before he turned back to look at her. "To my private quarters, of course," he said softly. "Surely you do not think I will believe that you have somehow managed to hide all of your womanhood with magic."

Anja's jaw dropped as she looked back at him incredulously. "And what is that supposed to mean, Captain?"

"What do you think these men will do if they stumble across you with your bosom hanging out?" he said bluntly. "I'll not have it, even though it would mean you would be out of danger once the fact that you are a woman was exposed. Now come. I want to help you. We'll have privacy and you can treat that properly."

Anja chewed on her lower lip, finally nodding as she saw his point.

"Very good, Lieutenant," Loki said playfully. "We'll make a soldier out of you yet."

*o*O*o*

Anja couldn't help the gasp that slipped through her lips as she saw Loki's private set of rooms. He was in the main house on the grounds, very similar to hers except for the absence of an extra bed.

He looked down at her, still in her glamour spell. "You can lower that spell if you wish. I know it is rather draining to maintain."

Anja inhaled once, letting the glamour spell slip away slowly as her typical physique returned. Her long curls were the last to return and she let out an exhale as she ran her hand through them.

"What?" she said quietly when she realized that Loki had been staring at her.

He shook his head, heading towards a smaller door that could only be what led to his bedroom with her balm still in his hand. She followed him, subconsciously admiring the way his golden hair reflected in the evening sun that slanted through the windows.

His bed chamber here was just as pristine as his ones in Asgard were and Anja noticed this absently as she followed him into the smaller room. It was cramped, obviously made for the small twin bed and dresser and nothing more.

"Take your coat off," he said as he unscrewed the lid on the balm once more. He was sitting on his bed, waiting on her to join him.

Anja pursed her lips, looking out the window as she slipped the brown wool of her overcoat off and laid it on a small stool by the dresser. Loki had taken his off as well, and oddly enough his forearms were the first thing she noticed about his body as he rolled the sleeves of his officer's shirt up. He had a set of suspenders on, the same as her.

She sat down on the bed, unbuttoning the heavy material of her undershirt as well. She slipped it and her suspenders off to reveal the large expanse of canvas wrapping that she had been using to conceal her breasts. An inky bruise was already blooming where the gun had been.

"That looks incredibly painful," Loki said quietly, and she wasn't sure if he was talking about the ugly bruise that had formed just to the left of her right shoulder in the joint, or if he was referring to the binding. Anja shrugged, watching his every move as he scooted closer to her on the bed. He watched her carefully, long fingers easily finding the not that held her breasts bound and slipping it looser to get the medicine where it needed to go. She noticed that he was careful to maintain her decency, even when it would have been easier to simply apply the balm with her free of these bonds. He was acting far differently than he had the night before…

He dipped his fingers down into the balm, bringing the substance up to her wound. She tried in vain to ignore the feel of his fingers against her body. It was almost too much for her. As quickly as his fingers had touched her, they pulled away. The inky-looking spot marring her olive complexion already looked better and she knew she'd be ready the next day to ride.

"Thank you," she managed when she looked back up to meet his gaze.

He waved her off, standing up to wipe his hands on the rag by the washbasin.

She cleared her throat, looking down at the still drying balm on her chest. "I've been meaning to ask you about the boy that was so keen on saying goodbye to Joey in the village before we left," she said quietly.

Loki looked up from the rag in his hands, tossing it into the basin before turning back to her. "Yes, the lad hadn't been told that the horse was to be sold. Needless to say, he took it rather hard."

Anja nodded, looking down at her hands as he came back to rejoin her on the bed. "Well, it is a fine horse," Anja said quietly.

Loki nodded, taking her free hand in his own. "That he is. And I have you to thank for the money to buy him." She let out a little laugh, meeting his emerald gaze. "But I did promise that I will return the horse when the war is over… or whenever I go home, whichever comes first."

"I believe that is a fair settlement," she said softly, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. "Especially since you have such a knack for making things go your way with your magic."

"Well, most things," he murmured as he looked back into her gaze. She knew exactly what he was insinuating. She was the one thing he could never predict, never fully control.

Anja suddenly felt very, very hot… but she knew that her commander would be taking role shortly after dinner. "I really should get back," she said quietly, licking her lips and looking back out the window.

Loki pressed his lips together, nodding as he reached out to help her to her feet. "Perhaps tomorrow you can show me how you were able to make ten bull's eyes right in a row," he said playfully.

Anja smiled back, eying him. "I had a good teacher," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

_**I am finally out of all the stuff I had previously written. Next chapter will be entirely new. We have the practice charge coming up and a couple more scenes before we move onto France, but I am hoping to get a little headway into this piece really soon. **_

_**I apologize for the disgracefully long wait, guys. Real life decided to kick in and I have also started that novel I was talking about before Christmas. Believe it or not it's started to take over my writing time. **_

_**Hopefully this will make up for my absence. And again, I apologize. **_

_**-Sirius**_


	5. Chapter 5: You Can't Protect Me Forever

"_I had done wrong_

_You build your tower_

_But call me home_

_And I will build a throne_

_And wash my eyes out never again."_

_-"Lovers of the Light"_

* * *

Loki sucked in a deep breath, long legs striding into the stables as the sun broke over the horizon. He had gotten up earlier than most of the mortals, needing time to gather his bearings once more before heading out to train. In a way, he also just wanted to see the prize of a horse that he would be riding on this fiasco.

"Morning, Joey," Loki murmured, letting a long-fingered hand slip up to pet the beast's nose. "Thought I'd come saddle you up myself this morning."

Joey pawed at the ground, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he watched Loki come closer. "I've made a wager that we'll be beating that snide Major Stuart in our ride this morning," Loki said with a grin, speaking quietly so the horse wouldn't spook. Loki could not explain the strange connection he had always felt with beasts such as this. He supposed a lot of it had to do with the fact that while animals had their own personalities, they also couldn't ruin their charm by speaking.

"We'll show them, won't we, My Bonnie Boy?" he said with a grin, the pearls of his teeth flashing in the dim air.

*o*O*o*

The metal of the cavalry sword glinted in the early morning light, smoke from cannons to mimic a battlefield setting settling low over the dew studded moor. Anja took in a deep breath, calming herself and Quicksilver with a bit of magic. Her glamour spell was in place again, and she knew that she was ready for whatever lay ahead.

"Out of the way, Lad," she heard one of the men next to her say quickly as a man on a great black horse trotted past her, sword already drawn and moving to the front of the line.

"That was the major," Charley Waverly said to her as his own white horse made it to stand beside her. "Trust me, you don't want to get on his bad side. That man is terrifying when he's angry."

Anja raised an eyebrow, appraising the major as he pulled his horse up next to Loki and Joey. For some reason she doubted Jamie Stuart would succeed in scaring her. Mortals had never truly scared her. She knew she had the upper hand with her magic if anything went in a way she did not care for.

Her tongue pressed to the inside of her front teeth as she focused in on her aura, ensuring her strength would hold fast for the duration of the morning. She could make out the image of Loki and Jamie in front of the troops, and her eyes widened as Charley motioned for her to follow him to stand next to them. She did as she was told, saddling up next to Stuart with a gleam in her eye.

"I'll be waiting for you three at the Duke of York," Charley's voice said rather loudly as the four of them backed into the ranks.

Anja could practically feel Major Stuart bristle at that, but he simply drew his own sword.

"Draw! Swords!"

That was Loki giving the order to prepare to attack…

She did as she was told, aiming the heavy weapon out in front of her in the form she had been trained to hold. Gold and silver gleamed in the morning light.

"Charge!"

*o*O*o*

Loki could not remember feeling such a rush in all his life. Perhaps it was the adrenaline rushing through his all too mortal body, or perhaps it was the knowledge that he was beating Jamie Stuart to a pulp with the talent that Joey possessed as he charged for the target.

He had left Anja, or Andrew as it currently was, back with the others long ago, charging ahead.

Joey torpedoed forward, sending both rider and horse at a break neck pace towards the little blue circle that Loki needed to get his sword through to win.

*o*O*o*

Anja fought desperately to keep from coughing as the smoke from the cannons gathered in her lungs. Quicksilver bobbed up and down between her legs, and she tried to use magic to ease the pain each time her thighs met with the leather of the saddle. She had ridden many a time back at the Academy, so why was this so hard on her now?

As she broke from the smoke, she was able to make out Loki's figure passing Stuart's on the home stretch. In a matter of seconds, his sword had passed through the target, spearing it in significance that he had won.

Then she felt the rhythmic up and down of her horse's running falter slightly as one of the infantry men fired a canon in the distance… and the ground shot even farther away from her line of sight as Quicksilver reared backwards. Anja had been told the canon fire would be from shooting blanks to get the horses ready for battle, but obviously Quicksilver did not approve. The next thing she knew, her body was flying through the air and she had landed on the soft grass of the field.

She looked up at the blue sky for a brief moment before the sound of the horses that had been behind her registered with her. Her gaze shot back in the direction of the oncoming horses before she rolled over, hands coming up to cover her head. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and disappeared into her mist state.

Her use of magic did not register with her until the men had passed. Quickly, she re-solidified in the grass, resuming her prone position as one of the field nurses ran out to check on her.

"Are you alright, sir?"

The mortal girl couldn't have been older than Anja looked and she nodded her head as she tried to get up. Her head was spinning as the smoke around her cleared.

"We thought for sure you'd be trampled," the nurse said. "It looked like that last horse ran right over you."

Anja bit down on her lower lip, reaching over to grab her cover as it lay in the grass… before a sharp pain shot up and down the arm she had moved. She let out a gasp as she looked down at the covered arm, realizing too little too late that she had most definitely injured it.

*o*O*o*

"Nice of you to turn up," Loki replied with a triumphantly arrogant smile towards Jamie.

"He's got speed," Major Stuart's voice said as he came up to where Loki was standing with Joey. "I'll give him that. But has he got the stamina?"

"He has everything," Loki shot back, a playful smile on his face as he taunted the mortal. The blue of his medal was quite a welcome sight at the end of his saber and he did little in an attempt to hide it from the major's jealous gaze. Oh no, Loki was not above taunting mortals. It was something that he had grown up loving.

Loki looked back towards where the rest of the recruits were, but wavered slightly as he found that while he could see Charley, he did not see Anja- Andrew.

Charley rode up to the pair of men, a slight look of panic in his brown gaze. "Andrew's fallen off his horse," Charley said quickly. "The nurses have him in under the tents, but they think he broke his arm."

Loki's pupils constricted as panic shot through him. It was all he could do to remain where he was. On the outside he was calmly seated upon Joey, but his insides were boiling. That damned woman was going to get herself killed…

Jamie looked over at Loki for the briefest of moments before turning back to Charley. "Will he be able to ride within the week?"

Charley shook his head. "I don't know, Major," he replied. "The nurses were taking care of him when I came to tell you."

Jamie nodded. "Well, accidents happen in training. Better here than on the battle field, right, Jim?" Stuart said as he directed Topthorn back towards the stables.

Loki had turned his green gaze to the tents, stowing his blade in its hold at the saddle. He didn't answer at first, too lost in his own thoughts.

"Jim?" Charley said quickly. "Are you alright?"

Loki snapped his head back around to his two mortal companions. "Aye," he said quickly. "I think I'll go check on Lieutenant Raeburn though."

"Ah, Jim. The lad'll be fine. The nurses just have to tend to his wound.

Loki pressed his lips together in a fine line before nodding. Anja had brought it on herself. Let her deal with the consequences. He would check on her soon enough.

*o*O*o*

Anja made her way down the hall that led to the officers' offices, cover tucked under her good arm and boots clicking along the wooden floors. She rapped lightly on the closed door, waiting on the man she knew to be in there to permit her to come in.

Her right arm was in a sling. Despite the gruesome injury she had sustained, she had been able to heal it with her own means once the mortal nurses had stopped flocking around her. The sling was just for show.

"Come in."

She smiled softly at the cool voice that answered, and she realized idly that she could hear the slow drawling of a man's voice on a phonograph from the depths of the room. It was late evening at this point and sunlight poured into the small office that had been given to Loki.

He didn't look up as she made her way inside the room. It was hot and stuffy, but she paid it little heed as her gaze landed on Loki's mortal form. "I hear congratulations are in order, Captain," she said playfully, walking in to stand in front of his desk. She caught the reflection of her glamour spell in the mirror that was across from his desk, and she smiled.

"And I hear a good thrashing is in order for you, Lieutenant," Loki replied calmly.

Anja arched an eyebrow, ignoring what he had said as she looked down at the beginnings of a drawing. The unmistakable eyes of Joey looked back at her from the paper and she bit down on her lower lip. "I didn't know you could draw like this," Anja murmured, tilting her head to the side. She set her cap down on the desk as she stayed across from him.

He pressed his lips together in a fine line, a long, slender finger shooting down to run over the graphite. "What happened to your arm?" he said quickly, looking up at her finally.

Anja shrugged, licking her lips before plopping down in one of the chairs across from Loki's desk.

"Anja. Tell me."

Anja studied Loki for a time, shaking her head and running a hand through her shortened hair before answering. "Quicksilver spooked," she said after a moment of deliberation. "I… I couldn't hold on."

"Ah," Loki murmured, looking back down at the desk. "You do realize you are insane, I hope," he said after another moment.

Anja's silver gaze widened at that as she reached into her breast pocket with her good hand. Loki's nostrils flared as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and proceeded to light one right in front of him with her good hand, balancing the white roll of paper in between her front teeth as she did so.

"And you do realize you are only mortal," Anja shot back. "I saw you tearing through those ranks today as if you had nothing to lose." She drew in on the cigarette. She hadn't ever tried one and she resisted the urge to cough. She had thought it would be good fun to mess with Loki in such a manner with something that only a mortal would succumb to.

Loki shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What if that-" He nodded towards her sling- "had been your neck?" he replied. "Magic doesn't heal all things. Especially not when the only wielder currently in the realm is unconscious."

"Loki," Anja said warningly, letting the smoke exhale from her lips. "You can't protect me forever."

His mouth twisted into a strange expression before he looked back down at the paper in front of him, but before he could say anything else Jamie Stuart came through the doors. Anja stood up as he entered, waiting on him to address her before slipping back into her seat. It was a procedure that all militaries she had ever observed used, standing for a higher ranking officer when he came in the room.

"Afternoon, Jim," Jamie said, nodding towards Loki before he looked at Anja. "Lieutenant Raeburn, is it?" he said, looking her over.

Anja nodded, hoping her glamour spell wouldn't slip under pressure. "Yes sir," she replied in as deep a voice as she could manage without sounding silly.

"Medical says you'll be able to ride tomorrow. Just a sprain, am I correct?"

Anja nodded. "I'll be ready, sir," she replied evenly.

"Good," Jamie said. "If there's one thing I can't stand it's a man who backs out of a fight over something little." Anja fought the urge to furrow her brow at that before Jamie turned back to Loki. "What have you got there?" he said, indicating the paper that Loki had.

Loki glanced at Anja before looking back at his drawing. "I'm writing a letter," he replied evenly.

"With a picture in it?"

"It's to the boy who owned Joey," Loki said. Anja smiled slightly at that, leaning forward to extinguish the cigarette in an ashtray before she sat down again. "I want to show him how wonderful he's looking."

Anja doubted she would ever know exactly what to expect from Loki. Here he was, writing a letter to a young mortal in an attempt to make him happy. She sat back in her chair as Jamie spoke with Loki of strategy. It was all quite interesting, the way the days were planned out around here.

"4 a.m. start tomorrow morning," Jamie said, taking a sip of brandy from the glasses and canter that were perched on the edge of Loki's desk. "I want all men that are not required to go in bed by 9 pm, but we'll have to go to that officer's farewell this evening. It's just in town, some sort of pub."

"Did someone say a pub?" Anja's silver gaze shot up at the sound of Charley's voice as the lieutenant entered the room. He was sporting his cover indoors, and she tilted her head to the side as he made it to stand next to Jamie. He nodded at her before turning to face Loki.

"Yes," Jamie said. "It won't take long but-"

"I quite like the sound of that," Charley said quickly. "Perhaps we'll meet some girls, eh, James?"

The smile on Loki's face was positively shit-eating as he looked back at Charley, but to the mortal Anja was certain that it was just one of excitement. "Yes, Charley, perhaps we shall." He looked back at Anja with a grin, as if to say, "what will you do about it?"

Anja simply smiled sweetly back, shrugging before looking out the window.

Jamie rolled his eyes, turning away from the two before heading out of the room towards his own quarters. "What about you, Raeburn?" Charley said. "Will you be joining us?"

Anja opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. She knew Loki was waiting on her to say yes, but instead she looked back to him with a grin of her own. "I'm not sure, Charley," she said. "I may need to rest my arm." She cut her eyes back to Loki, knowing he would want her to come along on this. It wasn't a battle, after all, and she was certain that he would want someone other than a mortal to talk to.

She heard Loki let out a little huff as he rolled his eyes behind Charley's back, turning back to his drawing.

"Well, that is honorable, Andrew," Charley replied with a grin, looking back to his cap. "Wouldn't want you to get too tired, now would we?"

Anja smiled back, reaching for her cover as she rose.

Charley turned to look in the mirror, readjusting his cap. "What do you think of the new cap?" he said with a grin. He turned back to the chair Anja had been sitting in, slipping down into it as she went to look out the window. Loki arched an eyebrow, and Anja knew right then and there the silvertongue was about to do its work. "Silk lining," Charley said. "I quite like it."

"I don't think it will make much difference to the Germans," Loki replied.

"You never know," Charley replied. "They may take a great stock in silk. Perhaps they'll be thinking of who to shoot and realize I'm wearing quite a stylish cap. Might cut me some slack and shoot another man instead, eh?"

Anja crossed her arms, fighting a smile as Loki glanced back up at her. "Or alternatively think," Loki said, green gaze cutting back to Charley's. "I fancy that cap and kill you first of all."

Anja closed her eyes, shaking her head as she fought the laughter that threatened to surface as Charley went quiet.

"Didn't think of that," he replied, tossing the cover onto the table in front of him.

Loki licked his lips, looking back down at the drawing.

*o*O*o*

Anja smiled to herself as she slipped through the darkened woods. It had been quite the evening to say the least. After she had gotten back to her rooms, she had waited on her roommate to leave before launching into her plan.

She had heard about the officer's farewell earlier that day- just after she had healed her arm, in fact. She grinned to herself as she cut through the darkness towards the stables. Her glamour spell was gone, her uniform transformed into a simple green dress. Her now long dark curls were pulled back part of the way from her face. It was the height of Midgardian fashion, and she knew she looked stunning… even if she would tower over the rest of the women.

Bah, it wasn't the women she would be associating with anyways.

She couldn't wait to see Loki's face when she showed up like this. He was in for quite the surprise. Her injury had proven to be quite a good alibi to get out of having to show up as Lieutenant Raeburn, and she was thankful that- if only for a night- she would be able to act as herself before the troops moved out in the morning.

With a final smile, she stopped in the middle of the clearing she had been heading for. She closed her eyes, honing in in her abilities, before teleporting straight to the inn that she wanted to go to.

* * *

_**Thanks for hanging in there, guys! I am honestly trying to update stuff but school's winding down and taking up a lot of my productive time. I'll be updating something soon though, I promise! **_

_**In the charge scene of the movie, if you look to Jamie's right when James is calling to "Draw Swords," there is a smaller looking guy with dark skin. Maybe I'm imagining things, but it looks pretty darn close to our friend Lieutenant Raeburn ;) **_

_**Oh, and happy April Fool's day! I'm sure a certain trickster loves this day ;) **_

_**Review if you liked it. Also, who is looking for smut in this? My dirty mind has an idea, but I don't want to offend anybody… **_

_**-Sirius **_


End file.
